Scots family launch petition after 'silent killer' condition killed young daughter

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The family of a young woman who died after medics failed to spot a silent condition that kills thousands of Scots every year have spoken out two decades after her death.

Gordon and Jane McPherson, from Renfrewshire, and their son Stephen were left heartbroken when 23-year-old Katie died in January 2003 from deep vein thrombosis (DVT).Katie was studying at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh to be an occupational therapist when medics at two separate hospitals failed to spot a blood clot in her leg, instead giving her painkillers and sending her home.Her own GP even insisted she was fine, only for Katie to die just nine days later.

DVT, known as a silent killer, along with other clot-related conditions, pulmonary embolism (PT) continues to kill more people in Scotland every year than those who die from alcohol and drugs combined.

Gordon and Jane have been campaigning for years for improve awareness about the condition and help others whose lives have been irreversibly affected by losing someone to DVT.Gordon has looked at the statistics and continues to question why there is not more funding and awareness being raised for DVT.He told the Scottish Daily Express: "Why are we still allowing people to die when these deaths are perfectly avoidable?"However, Jane said she has let Gordon take over more, as she struggles to keep on discussing Katie's death, saying: "I support Gordon in everything he does but I can't do it anymore.